f archer



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALTON l-I. FANCI-IER, OF CANTON, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE UNIVERSAL SELLING MACHINE COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PACKAGE ADAPTED FOR AUTOMATIC DELIVERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,167, dated May 3, 1892.

Application filed February 3, 1837; Serial No. 226,353. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALTON H. FANCHER, of Canton, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and 5 useful Improvements in Packages Adapted for Automatic Delivery from Coin-Controlled Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to enable postage and other stamps to be sold by means of what may be properly termed vendingmachines.

My invention consists in a new article of manufacture, a package adapted for automatic delivery from coin-controlled vendingmachines, consisting of one or more thin flexible leaf-like articles-such as gummed postage-stamps-held flatly and loosely between a flatly-folded card having the desired requisite 2o thickness or rigidity, whereby such package may, without detriment to the contained articles, be passed through such vending-machines.

The improved package constituting the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view, and Fig. 2 a face View, illustrating my said invention. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, and Fig. 4 a face view, illustrating a modification of the same. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of another modification of the same. Fig. 6 shows another modification of the same as opened out to better display the interior thereof. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view, and Fig. 8 a face view, of another modification of my said invention. Fig. l 9 is a perspective view representing another modification of my said invention as opened 4o to display the interior thereof.

The thin leaf-like article to be s'old-as, for example, a postage or other stamp Ais placed within a carrier of such size and proportion as will enable said carrier to be acted upon by the mechanism of the vending-machine, thereby enabling the stamp or other thin leaf-like article to be sold by a vending apparatus and thereby bring such articles within the capacity of such vending appara-= tus, which has heretofore been impossible by reason of the fact that the mechanism of such apparatus has not heretofore been enabled to act upon articles of such thin, fragile, flexible, and like character. This carrier maybe very conveniently made of a square piece of pasteboard or like material folded over at the edges, as shown at a in Figs. 1 and 2, the stamp or article itself being inclosed within the casing, shell, or envelope thus provided. WVhen desired,the material may be so folded (see Figs. 3 and 4) as to have a broad flap a and a narrow flap a", between which said flaps and the back I) of the carrier is placed the stamp or other like article A. hen desired, the carrier may be in the form of a fiat box, as represented in Fig. 5, open at one end to permit the stamp to be placed therein, or it may be made by giving the pasteboard or other material a single fold either crosswise of a narrow strip, as represented in Fig. 6, or

lengthwise of abroad but shorter strip, as

represented in Fig. 7, the stamp or other like article A being in either case placed between the two leaves 0 c.

The modification shown in Fig. 9 is similar to that represented in Figs. 7 and 8, the perspective view with the carrier open disclosing more clearly the manner in which the stamp or article to be vended is placed between the two leaves 0 c of the carrier.

When desired, the carrier maybe imprinted or impressed with any desired reading matter, advertisement, or design.

It will be observed that while the postage or other stamp or leaflike article is of too thin and fragile a character to be acted upon by the mechanism of a vending apparatus if placed alone therein, such article, when inclosed within or attached to a carrier according. to my invention, is readily actuated, inasmuch as the carrier may be of any desired stamp, be passed through such machines, as set forth.

ALTON H. FANOHER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES A. HERBERT, FRED. SOHALLER. 

